Technology & Learning - April 2008 - (Page 12)

Cell Division To ban or not to ban? Some districts keep mobile phones from school grounds. Others write curricula for them. Since January, a high school in Craik, Saskatchewan, has instituted a pilot project to make phones a part of the curriculum. So far, students have been using the phones’ calendar and alarm functions for class, and texting responses to questions teachers pose about books they have been studying. The program’s effectiveness will be evaluated this summer. Correlieu Secondary School in Quesnel, British Columbia, has banned phones in response to a flurry of schoolyard fights recorded by cell phone cameras, which were then posted to YouTube. The Quesnel School Board is considering the measure that every school have a policy on “electronically posting material on the Web or transmitting material by cell phones that threatens, demeans, or bullies another student, staff member or the school.” 3.57 million kids between the ages of 10 and 12—almost one out of every three tweens in America—will have cell phones by 2009, according to iGR, a Texas-based marketing consulting company. Three middle schools and three charter schools in Brooklyn, New York, started a pilot program in direct opposition of New York City’s public schools’ cell-phone ban. The techlearning.com schools gave 2,500 free cell phones to students, preloaded with 130 minutes of talk time. Students will be rewarded with additional minutes in return for good behavior, attendance, homework, and test scores. Teachers, meanwhile, can send text messages to students to remind them of assignments or upcoming exams. The $2 million program was funded by private donors through the Fund for Public Schools. violating a state ban on cell phones and electronic devices during testing that went into effect last fall. Students will also face school discipline for ignoring the rule. What’s your take? Let us know at www.techlearning.com In Florida’s Hernando County, 27 students recently had the results of their Florida Comprehensive Assessment Tests invalidated for Even people driving by schools are feeling the heat. Several Texas districts, including those in Dallas, Duncanville, Highland Park, University Park, and Flower Mound, have approved measures to issue citations to drivers specifically using handheld cell phones in school zones. In West University Place, Texas, the ban has been extended to hands-free phones as well. 12 | www.techlearning.com ILLUSTRATION BY MARTY BAUMANN http://www.techlearning.com http://www.techlearning.com http://www.techlearning.com

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Technology & Learning - April 2008 Contents New @ techlearning.com Editor's Desk News and Trends Digital Age Assessment: Part 2 Anytime, Anywhere Learning Caught on Video Cover Story: Plan and Deliver Cutting Edge in Carolina Product Guide Reviews Best of the Blogs What's New LOY Profile Series

Technology & Learning - April 2008

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